8
      UPEI
      News
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Textbook
     
    
   
   
    
     
      BY
      ERIN
      FAGAN
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Many
      UPEI
      students
      are
     
     
      learning
      to
      make
      do
      with
      an-
     
     
      other
      expense
      intrinsic
      to
      their
     
     
      education
      --
      the
      cost
      of
      the
     
     
      textbook
      --
      thanks
      to
      a
      demor-
     
     
      alizing
      combination
      of
      infla-
     
     
      tion,
      the
      wounded
      Canadian
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Cadre
     
    
   
   
    
     
      costs
      of
      education
     
    
   
   
    
     
      dollar,
      and
      plain
      greed.
     
     
      Textbook
      prices
      have
     
     
      increased
      approximately
      12
     
     
      percent
      this
      year
      according
      to
     
     
      Eric
      Gallant,
      manager
      of
      the
     
     
      UPEI
      bookstore.
     
     
      This
      increase
      has
      been
     
    
   
   
    
     
      attributed
      to
      the
      fact
      that
      a
     
     
      strong
      number
      of
      textbooks
     
     
      are
      published
      in
      the
      United
     
     
      States.
     
    

    
     
      “One
      veterinary
      medi-
     
     
      cine
      text,
      invoiced
      in
      U.S.
     
     
      funds,
      was
      quoted
      as
      being
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Keyjin
      College
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Information
      Technology
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Computer
      Studies
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      Our
      2-year
      Computer
     
     
      Studies
      program
      responds
      to
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      needs
      of
      a
      huge
      industry
     
     
      growth
      that
      will
      lead
      the
      way
      into
      the
      next
      millennium.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Keyin
      college
      delivers
      its
      high
      technological
     
     
      curriculum
      on
      IBM’s
      AS400
      to
      meet
      those
      needs.
      Our
     
     
      Program
      is
      designed
      to
      provide
      career
      opportunities
      such
     
     
      as:
      Computer
      programmers
      /
      analysts,
      technical
     
     
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      support
      specialists,
      software
      and
     
     
      hardware
      marketers,
      and
      IBM
      AS/400
      operators.
      With
     
     
      IBM
      AS/400
      programming
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      and
     
     
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      a
      graduate
     
     
      with
      highly
      marketable
      skills
      in
      today’s
      high
      tech
     
    
   
   
    
     
      industry.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Keyin
      college
      in
      Charlottetown
      is
      now
      starting
     
    
   
   
    
     
      enrollment
      for
      it’s
      January
      programs.
      For
      further
     
     
      information,
      please
      contact:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Keyin
      college
     
     
      500
      Queen
      St.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      2S
      a)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Charlottetown,
      PE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Tel
      (902)566-2345
     
     
      Fax
      (902)566-2145
     
    
   
   
    
     
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Btay
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      U4
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      seventy-five
      dollars,”
      Gallant
     
     
      said.
      “In
      Canadian
      funds...it
     
     
      was
      quoted
      over
      the
      phone
      to
     
     
      be
      $105.”
     
    

    
     
      He
      admits
      that
      the
      state
     
     
      of
      the
      Canadian
      dollar
      does
     
     
      have
      its
      effect
      on
      textbook
     
     
      prices,
      but
      adds
      that
      a
      gradual
     
     
      increase
      in
      book
      prices
      over
     
     
      the
      past
      several
      years
      is
      also
      a
     
     
      culprit.
     
    

    
     
      One
      UPEI
      professor
      told
     
     
      her
      class
      that
      it
      was
      “shame-
     
     
      ful”
      that
      a
      soft-cover
      textbook
     
     
      cost
      as
      much
      as
      fifty-six
      dol-
     
     
      lars,
      with
      taxes
      added
      to
      this
     
     
      amount.
      The
      situation
      is
      being
     
     
      felt
      across
      Canada,
      says
      Gal-
     
     
      lant.
     
    

    
     
      Matt
      Gray,
      SU
      president,
     
     
      questioned
      the
      actual
      influence
     
     
      ofthe
      dollar.“The
      dollar
      hasn’t
     
     
      dropped
      fifteen
      percent,”
      he
     
     
      said.
     
    

    
     
      Mian
      Ali,
      professor
      of
     
     
      Economics
      at
      UPEI,
      affirmed
     
     
      that
      the
      falling
      dollar
      is
      only
     
     
      marginally
      influencing
      prices
     
     
      atthe
      moment,
      citing
      that
      text-
     
     
      books
      prices
      and
      the
      cost
      of
     
     
      living
      have
      been
      increasing
     
     
      steadily
      over
      the
      past
      several
     
     
      years.
      He
      did
      state
      that
      im-
     
     
      ported
      goods
      costslightly
      more
     
     
      because
      of
      the
      status
      of
      the
     
     
      dollar.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      *
      6
      October
      1998
     
    
   
   
    
     
      prices
      add
      to
      the
      rising
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      But
      despite
      avoiding
      the
     
     
      impact
      on
      the
      cost
      of
      crossing
     
     
      the
      border,
      even
      Canadian
     
     
      published
      texts
      are
      not
      immune
     
     
      tohikes
      in
      prices.
      These
      books
     
     
      often
      have
      an
      American
      influ-
     
     
      ence,
      ifonly
      in
      production.
     
    

    
     
      A
      “Canadian”
      edition
      of
     
     
      apsychology
      text
      was
      discov-
     
     
      ered
      actually
      to
      be
      bound
      in
     
     
      the
      U.S.
     
    

    
     
      Inflation
      over
      the
      years
     
     
      is
      also
      to
      blame.
     
    

    
     
      “When
      I
      attended
      uni-
     
     
      versity,
      an
      expensive
      book
      was
     
     
      about
      $25,”
      Ali
      added.
     
    

    
     
      Gallant
      also
      said
      that
      an
     
     
      expensive
      textbook,
      when
      he
     
     
      first
      started
      out
      at
      the
      book
     
     
      store,
      only
      cost
      about
      $50.
     
    

    
     
      He
      speculated
      that
      fre-
     
     
      quent
      mergers
      between
      pub-
     
     
      lishing
      companies
      over
      the
      past
     
     
      few
      years
      might
      have
      an
      influ-
     
     
      ence.
      He
      ventured
      that
      re-
     
     
      duced
      competition
      due
      to
      these
     
     
      mergers
      might
      be
      driving
      prices
     
     
      up.
     
    

    
     
      Another
      _
      professor
     
     
      summed
      up
      his
      opinion
      of
      the
     
     
      textbook
      situation.
     
    

    
     
      “’m
      not
      here
      to
      make
     
     
      the
      textbook
      companies
      rich,
     
     
      I’m
      here
      to
      teach.
      Textbooks
     
     
      are
      necessary.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Rows
      of
      unsold
      textbooks
      in
      UPEI
      Bookstore
     
     
      Photo
      by
      Richard
      Haines